"Rude and arrogant finance recruiters keep ghosting my CV"
I am a compliance professional with five years experience and some strong experience on my resume. I'm looking for a new job and am getting nowhere. Has anyone else noticed the decline in recruiters' levels of candidate care in this market?
I've applied for around 100 roles and have lost track of the number of times that I've been ghosted after discussing a position and sending in my CV.
It seems like recruiters who've only been in the industry for a few years are the least respectful. The last time I was looking for jobs candidates were scarce, and recruitment consultants were respectful. Now, they have plenty of candidates and are dropping fundamental elements of communication (like letting you know that they've sent your CV to the hiring manager). They can also be rude and arrogant, particularly when I inquire why my communications are being ignored.
The most frustrating element of this market, is having agencies contacting you and asking to get in touch but then going cold and ignoring you when you try to follow up. When you finally get through, they'll often say that they're waiting for a suitable position. And when I ask them what they think that position is, it often becomes apparent that they don't understand my experience or CV.
This incompetence is overlaid with a crazy new approach to diversity. Almost all the questions you're asked during the application process give you the option not to disclose, except for nationality (this is after asking me whether I need a sponsorship or if I have a right to work). Some ask you for your gender twice or only have two genders and won't let you proceed unless you choose one. The same goes for the marital status. - There's often no option not to disclose that; I'm not sure if I'm applying for a dating site or for a job.
I get it that candidates are plentiful at the moment. I also get it that firms want to hire diversity candidates, but recruiters' approach is overly bureaucratic and disrespectful. There will be a time, when candidates are harder to find - and recruiters with strong processes and capable staff will win in the long run.
Chineka Booker is a pseudonym
Have a confidential story, tip, or comment you’d like to share? Contact: sbutcher@efinancialcareers.com in the first instance. Whatsapp/Signal/Telegram also available (Telegram: @SarahButcher)
Bear with us if you leave a comment at the bottom of this article: all our comments are moderated by human beings. Sometimes these humans might be asleep, or away from their desks, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. Eventually it will – unless it’s offensive or libelous (in which case it won’t.)
